8 Ontario Parks Where You Can Get A Spectacular View Of The Northern Lights
Don't forget your camera!📷
Northern lights at Manitoulin Eco Park in Ontario. Right: An aurora over Lake Superior in Algoma.
Seeing the northern lights in Canada is basically a Canadian rite of passage. But if you haven't had the opportunity to see them, you may soon get the chance.
According to Destination Canada, the coming fall months are some of the best times for spotting the aurora borealis. In Ontario, you could see the lights as soon as September, which is a prime time for viewing.
As for where to see the northern lights in Ontario, you'll want to head to areas away from city lights where there's less light pollution.
With this mind, we've rounded up eight Ontario parks and conservation areas with dark skies perfect for viewing the northern lights. Make sure there's room in your camera roll and get ready for a spectacular show.
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Price: $8.50 per adult, $12.75+ per person, per night for camping
Address: 469 Cyprus Lake Rd., Tobermory, ON
Why You Need To Go: Bruce Peninsula National Park offers some of the most breathtaking views of Ontario's landscape, but the real spectacle starts after sundown.
Found on the waters of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, the park is a designated Dark Sky Preserve, and one of just 12 Dark Sky Preserves in Canada. At night, you can get incredible views of the cosmos, and have the chance to catch an aurora.
There are two designated sky observing areas in the park, according to Destination Ontario; one near the facilities by Cyprus Lake, and the second a coastal site southwest of Highway 6 called Singing Sands.
Accessibility: Some accessible facilities located in the park.
Manitoulin Eco Park
Price: $10 per person
Address: 18777 ON-6, Tehkummah, ON
Why You Need To Go: Manitoulin Eco Park is an official Dark Sky Preserve offering 360-degree views of the night sky.
The park, which was formerly known as Gordon's Park, can be found in Tehkummah at the southeast corner of Manitoulin Island about 2 hours from Sudbury.
The park's dark skies are the perfect place to take in meteor showers, see planets and catch the northern lights.
The park offers Dark Sky Camping, Astronomy Nights with presentations and knowledgeable guest speakers and Stargazing Night Hikes where visitors can take an immersive adventure through the forest after dark.
While you can camp at the park, you can also visit with a Night Pass, which is $10 per person and gets you access to the Dark Sky Observation Area from sunset until sunrise.
Killarney Provincial Park
Price: $10.84 per vehicle, $34.25+ for camping
Address: 958 ON-637, Killarney, ON
Why You Need To Go: Killarney Provincial Park is a famous spot in Ontario for viewing the night sky, and it's not hard to see why.
The park was Ontario's first provincial park to be designated as a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2018, offering prime conditions for viewing the stars, planets and the aurora borealis.
The park is also one of only two provincial parks in Ontario with an observatory. According to Northern Ontario Travel, this year, the park is upgrading its observatory to "allow more people to view deep sky features like star clusters, meteor showers, the rings of Saturn, the phases of Venus, the spectacular craters on the moon," and more.
The park has a number of campsites where visitors can spend the night, which can be reserved online up to five months in advance.
If you'd prefer not to sleep in a tent, roofed accommodation, including a cabin and yurts, is also available.
Accessibility: All-terrain wheelchair available.
Algonquin Provincial Park
Price: $10.84 per vehicle, $34.25+ for camping
Address: Algonquin Provincial Park, ON-60, ON
Why You Need To Go: Algonquin Provincial Park's remote location away from major city lights, wild country and dark sky make it an ideal location for catching the northern lights in southern Ontario.
While the park doesn't have an official Dark Sky designation, it still draws many amateur and professional astronomers from abroad, according to The Friends of Algonquin Park.
You'll find plenty of campsites here as well as roofed accommodation. Located on the edge of the park, the Four Corners Algonquin, an observatory site, offers summer Dark Sky Astronomy tours and camping and "glamping" accommodations, including transparent "Bubble Tents" perfect for seeing the night sky.
Accessibility: All-terrain wheelchair available.
Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve
Price: Free admission
Address: 3924 Southwood Rd., Gravenhurst, ON
Why You Need To Go: Torrance Barrens is the world's first permanently designated Dark Sky Reserve and has prime conditions for viewing aurora thanks to its total absence of artificial light.
The preserve is located just 2 hours from Toronto in the Muskoka Lakes region. Canadian Shield bedrock in the park provides "an unobstructed surface from which to observe the sky," according to the preserve, allowing visitors to get 360-degree panoramic views of the skies.
The skies are so clear here that you can take in the cosmos with your naked eye, however, the hard, granite surface of the park also makes it great for setting up a telescope.
To find out the best time to visit, the park provides a Clear Sky Chart online that you can use to check the conditions before heading out.
The park also offers overnight camping, as well as a number of hiking trails to explore.
Quetico Provincial Park
Price: $10.84 per vehicle, $34.25+ for camping
Address: ON-11, Atikokan, ON
Why You Need To Go: Quetico Provincial Park is known as one of Ontario's finest wilderness canoeing parks, offering "unspoiled tranquility."
While this makes it the perfect park for those looking for some rugged adventure, its remote location also means it's a great spot for viewing aurora.
The park can be found in Northwestern Ontario in Atikokan, about 2 hours from Thunder Bay, and is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association for its pollution-free night skies.
The park offers rustic cabin rentals available year-round, as well as interior and backcountry camping, which can be booked online.
Accessibility: All-terrain wheelchair available.
Nagagamisis Provincial Park
Price: $10.84 per vehicle, $34.25+ for camping
Address: Nagagamisis Provincial Park, Algoma, ON
Why You Need To Go: Nestled in the boreal forest, Nagagamisis Provincial Park offers tons of opportunities for true northern activities, like fishing, camping and canoeing.
While it's not a designated Dark Sky Preserve, the park's remote location in Algoma makes for some very dark night skies that are perfect for stargazing, catching a meteor show, or taking in the northern lights.
If you're looking to camp underneath a canopy of stars, this is the park for you. The park offers rustic camping immersed in nature, with the added benefit of creature comforts like hot showers, comfort stations and a park store.
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Price: $10.84 per vehicle, $34.25+ for camping
Address: 96 Broadway Ave., Wawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Lake Superior Provincial Park is another classic location for viewing the northern lights in Ontario.
The park is recognized as a Dark Sky Preserve by the Astronomical Society of Canada and boasts some of the darkest skies in North America, with its low horizon creating a wide frame perfect for admiring the cosmos.
While you can take in the night sky with your naked eye, visitors who want a closer look can partake in nightly telescope viewings with the park's Sky-Watcher telescope at the Agawa Bay Beach.
The park has several campsites, with options for interior camping and backcountry camping.
Accessibility: All-terrain wheelchair available for use.
While these parks provide perfect conditions for viewing the northern lights, keep in mind that the best time to see them will be after reports of solar activity. You can also check out the online Aurora Forecast to get an idea of when to see the aurora.
Good luck!
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.
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